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| Name: winnmom | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 12:56 PM |
| wow! I could not even fathom nursing my 6 year old!!!! He is a a child, not a baby.......he is in school, eats everything and has for years and years.......I coulod not even imagine doing that! I believe once a child eats regular food, breastfeeding is no longer done.........to me, yes It gives me a quezzy feeling nursing a child that no longer needs it. ↑ |
| Name: winnmom | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 12:57 PM |
| I remember my Auntie telling me about a friend of hers that nursed her 5 year old.......He would be running around playing with the other children, and he would come in and go nurse!!!!!WTF???????? ↑ |
| Name: bebe9281 | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 12:59 PM |
| I breastfed both of my kids until they about 18 months old. I would agree that stopping once they are fully able to eat table food is a good idea. HOWEVER.... there are many different cultures that nurse until the age or 4 or so. That is NOT out culture.. There are also some strange people out there who feel the need to "hold on" to their babies and will do whatever they need to to keep their babies... Personally I think it is detrimental mentally to the child and to the mother. You must eventually give it up. and yes... both of my children weaned themselves... ↑ |
| Name: bebe9281 | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 1:00 PM |
| OUR culture not OUT culture.. sorry. ↑ |
| Name: winnmom | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 1:04 PM |
| Yes Bebe, Maybe it has a lot to do with culture.......... Here in North America, it is not the norm, but other places maybe it is?????and if it is, and it is all that is known, it would just seem normal. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 1:13 PM |
| The people that appeared on this show was from the UK I don't know from what part though. I have seen that some women here in the sates also feel that a child should decide when they want to stop breast feeding. I however don't feel nutritionally it is needed. I also think that by allowing them to do so it will keep them more dependent on mum for comfort thus not allowing them to find other channels of comfort as they grow. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 4:55 PM |
| the world health organization recommends and would LIKE to see babies being breastfed for AT LEAST two years.....this is usually not common here, as society has MADE it unacceptable and not normal to go beyond 2 years....there are countries (especially poor countries) that breastfeed their babies WELL beyond 2 years as they usually can't afford to buy their kids food, and what better way to give them what they need to grow. in those countries, it IS acceptable and normal cause they don't know anything else. nobody there would give a second thought to it thinking "gee that's gross"....it's just the way it is. so why is it not acceptable for US but is IS acceptable in other countries? because other feel uncomfortable seeing it? then look the other way. I think what it should boil down to is the individual and what YOU feel comfortable doing with your own child and not let others dictate to you what is acceptable or not!!! cause ultimately, who else's business is it besides your own? for me personally, i wouldn't go past 2 years of age, cause i wouldn't feel right about it...but who am i to say what others should do? ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 5:17 PM |
| found a really good site: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfe xtended/ebf-benefits.html Nursin g a toddler is NORMAL The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." (AAP 2005) The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that breastfeeding continue throughout the first year of life and that "Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired." They also note that "If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned." (AAFP 2001) A US Surgeon General has stated that it is a lucky baby who continues to nurse until age two. (Novello 1990) The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of nursing up to two years of age or beyond (WHO 1992, WHO 2002). Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed to expect (Dettwyler 1995). ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 7:04 PM |
| Most children are eating all table foods by the time they reach 3 years old so breast milk is not needed. The reason we women lactate is so that we can provide our infants with the proper nutrients until they are able to consume them on their own from other sources. Once a child is able to eat table foods then breast feeding is not feeding any more it is merely suckling. I think in our society once a child is eating table foods he/she should be weaned. I'm not talking not talking about all the 3rd world country's I am referring to ours. Watching a mum allow a 5 year old child to suckle is almost disturbing. I asked myself, why? My answer was because its not needed or necessary. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 7:10 PM |
| Bmes I do agree that 2 maybe 3 is acceptable, but 5 6 7 years? not necessary. I do believe that many mums who do attempt to breast feed beyond infancy are are mums that are feeling a need for comfort. I don't think that its the child needing the closeness at all, I think its mum wanting the closeness. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 7:19 PM |
| did you read the link i posted? it's not just for nutrients....there's ALL kinds of benefits....i'm not saying EVERYONE should be doing it....i'm just saying that i don't agree with dictating what's "acceptable". "acceptable should be what the individual feels is acceptable....not what society is teling them. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 7:19 PM |
| Although there has been little research done on children who breastfeed beyond the age of two, the available information indicates that breastfeeding continues to be a valuable source of nutrition and disease protection for as long as breastfeeding continues. "Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for ]1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant." -- Mandel 2005 "Breast milk continues to provide substantial amounts of key nutrients well beyond the first year of life, especially protein, fat, and most vitamins." -- Dewey 2001 In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides: 29% of energy requirements 43% of protein requirements 36% of calcium requirements 75% of vitamin A requirements 76% of folate requirements 94% of vitamin B12 requirements 60% of vitamin C requirements -- Dewey 2001 Studies done in rural Bangladesh have shown that breastmilk continues to be an important source of vitamin A in the second and third year of life. -- Persson 1998 It's not uncommon for weaning to be recommended for toddlers who are eating few solids. However, this recommendation is not supported by research. According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.): Some doctors may feel that nursing will interfere with a child's appetite for other foods. Yet there has been no documentation that nursing children are more likely than weaned children to refuse supplementary foods. In fact, most researchers in Third World countries, where a malnourished toddler's appetite may be of critical importance, recommend continued nursing for even the severely malnourished (Briend et al, 1988; Rhode, 1988; Shattock and Stephens, 1975; Whitehead, 1985). Most suggest helping the malnourished older nursing child not by weaning but by supplementing the mother's diet to improve the nutritional quality of her milk (Ahn and MacLean. 1980; Jelliffe and Jelliffe, 1978) and by offering the child more varied and more palatable foods to improve his or her appetite (Rohde, 1988; Tangermann, 1988; Underwood, 1985). References Nursing toddlers are SICK LESS OFTEN The American Academy of Family Physicians notes that children weaned before two years of age are at increased risk of illness (AAFP 2001). Nursing toddlers between the ages of 16 and 30 months have been found to have fewer illnesses and illnesses of shorter duration than their non-nursing peers (Gulick 1986). "Antibodies are abundant in human milk throughout lactation" (Nutrition During Lactation 1991; p. 134). In fact, some of the immune factors in breastmilk increase in concentration during the second year and also during the weaning process. (Goldman 1983, Goldman & Goldblum 1983, Institute of Medicine 1991). Per the World Health Organization, "a modest increase in breastfeeding rates could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five: Breastfeeding plays an essential and sometimes underestimated role in the treatment and prevention of childhood illness." [emphasis added] References Nursing toddlers have FEWER ALLERGIES Many studies have shown that one of the best ways to prevent allergies and asthma is to breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months and continue breastfeeding long-term after that point. Breastfeeding can be helpful for preventing allergy by: reducing exposure to potential allergens (the later baby is exposed, the less likely that there will be an allergic reaction), speeding maturation of the protective intestinal barrier in baby's gut, coating the gut and providing a barrier to potentially allergenic molecules, providing anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of infections (which can act as allergy triggers). References Nursing toddlers are SMART Extensive research on the relationship between cognitive achievement (IQ scores, grades in school) and breastfeeding has shown the greatest gains for those children breastfed the longest. References Nursing toddlers are WELL ADJUSTED SOCIALLY According to Sally Kneidel in "Nursing Beyond One Year" (New Beginnings, Vol. 6 No. 4, July-August 1990, pp. 99-103.): "Research reports on the psychological aspects of nursing are scarce. One study that dealt specifically with babies nursed longer than a year showed a significant link between the duration of nursing and mothers' and teachers' ratings of social adjustment in six- to eight-year-old children (Ferguson et al, 1987). In the words of the researchers, 'There are statistically significant tendencies for conduct disorder scores to decline with increasing duration of breastfeeding.'" According to Elizabeth N. Baldwin, Esq. in "Extended Breastfeeding and the Law": "Breastfeeding is a warm and loving way to meet the needs of toddlers and young children. It not only perks them up and energizes them; it also soothes the frustrations, bumps and bruises, and daily stresses of early childhood. In addition, nursing past infancy helps little ones make a gradual transition to childhood." Baldwin continues: "Meeting a child's dependency needs is the key to helping that child achieve independence. And children outgrow these needs according to their own unique timetable." Children who achieve independence at their own pace are more secure in that independence then children forced into independence prematurely. References Nursing a toddler is NORMAL The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that "Breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child... Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother... There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." (AAP 2005) The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that breastfeeding continue throughout the first year of life and that "Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired." They also note that "If the child is younger than two years of age, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned." (AAFP 2001) A US Surgeon General has stated that it is a lucky baby who continues to nurse until age two. (Novello 1990) The World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of nursing up to two years of age or beyond (WHO 1992, WHO 2002). Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed to expect (Dettwyler 1995). References [see also position statements supporting breastfeeding] MOTHERS also benefit from nursing past infancy Extended nursing delays the return of fertility in some women by suppressing ovulation (References). Breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer (References). Studies have found a significant inverse association between duration of lactation and breast cancer risk. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer (References). Breastfeeding reduces the risk of uterine cancer (References). Breastfeeding reduces the risk of endometrial cancer (References). Breastfeeding protects against osteoporosis. During lactation a mother may experience decreases of bone mineral. A nursing mom's bone mineral density may be reduced in the whole body by 1 to 2 percent while she is still nursing. This is gained back, and bone mineral density may actually increase, when the baby is weaned from the breast. This is not dependent on additional calcium supplementation in the mother's diet. (References). Breastfeeding reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. (References). Breastfeeding has been shown to decrease insulin requirements in diabetic women (References). Breastfeeding moms tend to lose weight easier (References). ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 8:13 PM |
| Bmes I did read your posts and if you notice all the study's are referring to toddlers under the age of 3 years and sick malnourished children from 3rd world countries . There are very few studies that prove or disprove weather or not it is beneficial for the child in any way to be feeding until adolescence. I agree dictatorship sucks! But ,if we want to live in a modernized world there will always be people who will dictate what they believe to be rite or wrong. Not to say that allowing your 5-6 year old to suckle from you is wrong, but to say it is not acceptable in a modern day non 3rd world society. I personally don't care if some one allows their child to suckle until their 30. If thats what makes them feel better some how then who am I to say its wrong, but I will think its kinda creepy. I also believe the turn your head if you don't like me breast feeding in public theory was meant to be applied to a mum feeding her infant, not a mum allowing her 5 year old to suckle for comfort. Nah...I don't think many people would turn their heads at that. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 9:48 PM |
| they were talking about older children ex: " There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." (AAP 2005) and "Scientific research by Katherine A. Dettwyler, PhD shows that 2.5 to 7.0 years of nursing is what our children have been designed to expect" i was just saying that it WOULD be acceptable if modern society never said that it wasn't. whether it's a third world country or not, if we all just did what we felt was comfortable, and there happened to be a 6 year old nursing, it wouldn't be a big deal!!!! but doctors (not educating their patients on all aspects of breastfeeding) and media (wanting to promote and make money off of formula) have made it this way. obvioulsy in today's modern culture we would think it not acceptable to breastfeed a 5,6,7 year old....we have made it this way. but in the big picture, it really SHOULDN'T be that big of a deal.... despite all it's benefits and no evidence to show that it hurts the child in any way, people here should not breastfeed their child at that age, even if they want to, because others think it's unacceptable. lol..... i don't want you to think i'm arguing....i'm not....i personally would never breastfeed that long. i wouldn't be comfortable doing it. BUT if people want to....power to 'em!!!!! lol... ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 10:34 PM |
| In no way do I think your arguing. I'm actually interested in this topic and how others view it. I do agree with what you have to say. It should be to each is own, but unfortunately people are influenced by media and other out side sources and that will sway ones decision weather to or not. As for the studies I have not yet seen any studies that stated the specific benefits of breast feeding in to adolescence years. I have read that there are no real physical health benefits to breast feeding over the age of 3 years. I have seen studies suggest that it could be psychologically harming to a child to do so, but then other studies show that it is not. So who's to really know if it can be harming or not? I think another deciding factor as to if its ok or not is that in our modern society breasts are not just baby bottles, they are sexual objects. There is a lot of enforces on the women breast as being a sexual tool, so when we see a 6-7 year old suckling it can be disturbing for some. Not that they think there is any molestation going on, I just think in the psychological mind of today people its not an easy thing to wrap ones mind around. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 9th, 2008 10:47 PM |
| Since I watched that show I have asked several people what they thought. Most said that it was sick! Keep in mind that wasn't me speaking I am only saying what I was told. They would say things like Wow! is she desperate... or what a perv and things like....I wonder if her child will be sucking her tit when he or she is 20. Again sounds nasty, but that's how people perceive othrs who breast feed a child until 7. Do I agree with their comments? NO! But today breasts are only baby bottles when the child is a baby after that they are sexual tools.That's the way society has chosen it to be. ↑ |
| Name: Joeys_Mam | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 5:46 AM |
| It's not needed past the age of 2. I don't think there's any benefits to be had from breastfeeding kids past the age of 2. To me, it's an example a mothers who just don't want to let go. In my culture, it isn't normal, and therefore, not acceptable. ↑ |
| Name: Joeys_Mam | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 5:55 AM |
| Haha. If you ladies found out your hubbies were breastfed till they were 8, how would you feel about that? ;) ↑ |
| Name: Joeys_Mam | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 6:00 AM |
| With regard lactating, I'm STILL lactating even though I haven't breastfed Joey in 10 months! Normal? ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 11:41 AM |
| Joeys_Mam, I agree I don't see any reason for nursing after the age of 2-3 years. Since this subject was posted I have looked and looked for some real medical reason for why it would be beneficial, thus yet I haven't found any reason. However I do agree with what Bmes said. Women should be able to chose when to wean their child regardless of the child's age. Women shouldn't have to feel a seance of pressure from others who think they can dictate rite from wrong. I never breast fed, but I do believe that there is a huge benefit to both mum and child when breast feeding. However I don't think any age beyond 3 is acceptable. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 11:54 AM |
| Joeys_Mam, I can only imagine the talk later when the kids a teen and remember being 5,6,7 years old breast feeding. How embarrassing would that be for him/her? I bet he/she would keep that one quite, being careful not to let many people aware. ↑ |
| Name: Lola-May | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 3:35 PM |
| I guess I lucked out...Silas weened himself when he was five months old, just a couple weeks before he cut his first tooth. I agree that once they're able to eat regular foods then they shouldn't be on the boob anymore. I would just feel strange nursing a "child". Why not just pump the breast milk and give it to them in a sippy cup if they want them to have it so badly? I dunno, it's just my opinion and I wouldn't personally breastfeed past toddlerhood. ↑ |
| Name: lindalu | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 4:20 PM |
| Lola-May That's a good point, why not just pump it? Or as some one already stated.... mum may not be ready to let go so that's why she still nurses. ↑ |
| Name: winnmom | Date: Oct 10th, 2008 4:37 PM |
| o.k I did some reading after this topic, and it seems breast feeding in children past toddler age, is sometimes recommended in sickly children........... My opinion is mine....and like I said could very well be because of culture???? I just could not imagine nursing my 6 year old son!!! he goes to school, is in sports, has chores, etc.........to me, too old to do that and still nurse....... I think Mothers that nurse children when older( except with sickly children) could very well be for the Mother, not so much the child........ ↑ |
| Name: lynneings | Date: Oct 11th, 2008 3:17 AM |
| I could only breastfeed Andrew for the first two week's of hs life,due to two reason's One him being tounge tied and being unable to latch on,And two i was on all sort's of different med's after he was born. As reguard's to breastfeeding a 6 year old child that is just wrong,i agree that breast is best but some one feeding a 6 year old that is nearing child abuse. ↑ |
